If it feels like the perfect storm has hit your immune system this time of year, you’re right.

So now is a perfect time to see how stress impacts immunity and find out what to do about it.

Stress and Immunity

Scientists have known for years that major and minor life stresses interfere with immune function and contribute to disease. Stressful life events increase your susceptibility to several types of infections, from the common cold to tuberculosis and to auto-immune disorders, in which your body’s immune system attacks its own cells.

The emotional impact of a stressful event is determined by the way you think about it. There is a tendency to overreact to relatively small setbacks, giving them more weight than they deserve.

“Cognitive restructuring” is the name given to a psychological strategy that allows us to reevaluate our stressors and gain perspective. Cognitive restructuring forms the psychological basis for all the great religions and is central to the philosophy of Buddhism.

Isolation can be a killer, increasing the death rate from infection, heart disease and cancer. Involvement with others builds immunity.

A California research team studied people suffering from melanoma, a highly malignant form of skin cancer. They found that involvement in a cancer support group improved survival and increased the activity of a group of white blood cells called natural killer cells, which are an important component of the body’s defense against cancer.

Harvard researchers found that students could improve immune function simply by watching a video about Mother Theresa‘s compassionate work among the poor of Calcutta.

3) Exercise

Exercise of modest intensity, like brisk walking 30 minutes a day, appears to improve immune function. Both your level of activity and your general level of fitness are important.

Your sleep is an active time during which your body restores itself. Sleep deprivation of experimental animals increases susceptibility to viral and bacterial infection, and, in humans, insomnia reduces natural killer cell activity. Healthy young men awakened from sleep between 3 and 7 a.m. show a 30 percent dip in natural killer activity the next morning.

The natural sleep requirement of adults varies from as little as six to as much as 10 hours per day, with most people needing seven to nine hours, preferably without interruption. Daytime relaxation also has important health benefits. A period of quiet meditation each day may lower blood pressure, relieve anxiety, improve nighttime sleep and decrease the discomfort of chronic headache and other painful conditions.

5) Nutrition

The leading cause of immune deficiency, worldwide and within the U.S., is poor nutrition. Study after study has found that vitamin and mineral supplements improve immune function among the elderly and among children with recurrent infections. The specific nutrients with the most profound effects are the omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFAs), which are found in flax seed and in fish, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin B6, folic acid, vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, selenium and iron.

Clear thinking, supportive social relationships, moderate exercise, adequate sleep and immune-boosting nutrients can keep you from becoming a victim of stress.

Now I’d like to hear from you:

Are you stressed out?

Notice any impact on your immunity?

Have you tried anything that helps?

Please let me know your thoughts by posting a comment below.

Best Health,

Leo Galland, MD

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Leo Galland, MD is a board-certified internist, author and internationally recognized leader in integrated medicine. Dr. Galland is the founder of Pill Advised, a web application for learning about medications, supplements and food. Sign up for FREE to discover how your medications and vitamins interact. Watch his videos on YouTube and join the Pill Advised Facebook page.

This information is provided for general educational purposes only and is not intended to constitute (i) medical advice or counseling, (ii) the practice of medicine or the provision of health care diagnosis or treatment, (iii) or the creation of a physician — patient relationship. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, contact your doctor promptly.